'AK 100: 25 Films by Kurosawa'

Like most media industries, the DVD business remains in a slump, which is bad news for archival releases: Distributors are, for now, more likely to recycle old standbys than dig into the studio vaults for obscurities. Still, plenty of terrific titles made their DVD debuts in the last year, and the number of great films upgraded to Blu-ray is growing exponentially. Here's a top 10 -- and then some -- of the year's most rewarding offerings: "AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa" (Criterion, $399). A beautifully packaged testament to the Japanese master’s titanic career that includes early rarities ("The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail"), paradigm-defining classics ("Rashomon") and overlooked late works ("Dodes'ka-den"). For historical significance and entertainment value, hands down the boxed set of the year.

Like most media industries, the DVD business remains in a slump, which is bad news for archival releases: Distributors are, for now, more likely to recycle old standbys than dig into the studio vaults for obscurities. Still, plenty of terrific titles made their DVD debuts in the last year, and the number of great films upgraded to Blu-ray is growing exponentially. Here's a top 10 -- and then some -- of the year's most rewarding offerings: "AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa" (Criterion, $399). A beautifully packaged testament to the Japanese master’s titanic career that includes early rarities ("The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail"), paradigm-defining classics ("Rashomon") and overlooked late works ("Dodes'ka-den"). For historical significance and entertainment value, hands down the boxed set of the year. (Criterion Collection)

Like most media industries, the DVD business remains in a slump, which is bad news for archival releases: Distributors are, for now, more likely to recycle old standbys than dig into the studio vaults for obscurities. Still, plenty of terrific titles made their DVD debuts in the last year, and the number of great films upgraded to Blu-ray is growing exponentially. Here's a top 10 -- and then some -- of the year's most rewarding offerings: "AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa" (Criterion, $399). A beautifully packaged testament to the Japanese master’s titanic career that includes early rarities ("The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail"), paradigm-defining classics ("Rashomon") and overlooked late works ("Dodes'ka-den"). For historical significance and entertainment value, hands down the boxed set of the year.Criterion Collection